He said it seemed like more people were taking advantage of the sales-tax holiday this year.

“It seems like people may have put off projects to take advantage of the tax-free weekend,” he said.

For the 10th year out of the last 11, the state gave people a chance to avoid having to pay the state’s sales tax.

At the Bernie & Phyl’s furniture store in Braintree on Saturday, people shopping for furniture or mattresses said they were glad not to have to travel to New Hampshire to save on taxes.

“We were looking for a sectional sofa,” Kelly Molloy of Abington said. “We had an agenda.”

She said she didn’t think the crowds were all that large.

But Chris Bamberg, a Bernie & Phyl’s sales associate, said he thought the store was a lot busier than usual because of the tax holiday.

“In terms of the types of shoppers who come, we get the whole gamut,” he said.

Friends Jacqui Quinn and Doreen Hayward said they were shopping for furniture because of the tax-free weekend.

Others at Bernie & Phyl’s said they were shopping after comparing prices at several stores. Cesar and Derya Yavuz of Quincy bought a new bed for their children, and they said they were interested in deals that stores were offering during the tax holiday.

Page 2 of 2 - “We’re a family of four and a working couple,” Derya Yavuz said.

Jackie Etienne, a sales services representative at South Shore Plaza, described the mall as “more crowded than usual,” but she said she hadn’t seen any Black Friday-like crowds or lines.

Although Sylviana Lener, a customer service manager at the Walmart in Quincy, thought the store was bustling Saturday, she said the tax holiday doesn’t touch other holidays in terms of crowds.

“It went great,” she said. “It was pretty busy.”

She said she saw a spike in people buying electronics, stereos, futons and housewares.

“Most of the customers were really happy that it was no-tax day,” she said.